To monitor China’s activities in the disputed South China Sea, admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, chief of naval operations, said that the US Navy plans to deploy P-8A Poseidon long-range reconnaissance aircraft to Malaysia on Sept. 8.

“Recently, the Malaysians have offered us to fly detachments of P-8s out of East Malaysia,” said Greenert. “You can see the closeness to the South China Sea. So we have opportunities and we ought to continue to nurture them.” The move has triggered rebuttal from Youth Solidarity Malaysia, a non-government organization, which believes that such a deployment will destroy the reputation of Malaysia as a memeber of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Greenert was accused of spreading false information by Hishammuddin Hussein, the Malaysian defense minister, on Sept. 8. On the same day, captain Danny Hernandez, spokesperson for Greenert, clarified that the US Navy has not yet been given any permission from the Malaysian government to carry out such deployment. The US Seventh Fleet also claimed that Washington and Kuala Lumpur have never signed any agreement regarding the deployment, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Chronicle.

The Malaysian government should more carefully consider such a deployment, said the report. Even though China and Malaysia have a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, it is not necessary for Kuala Lumpur to damage its trade relationship with Beijing to become an ally with Washington, the report added. Allowing the deployment of American reconnaissance aircraft to Malaysia would certainly irritate China.

Whether the deployment of P-8A to Malaysia is true or not, Washington and Kuala Lumpur have already decided to launch a joint exercise between Sept. 12-26. The two countries have been discussing the P-8A deployment to Malaysia for a long time, according to the New York Times. From the Chinese perspective, this deployment is absolutely a provocation. Admiral Li Jie of the PLA Navy said P-8As are a serious threat to China’s national security, as cited in a Duowei News report.

The Philippines and Singapore are the only two nations in Southeast Asia allowing the temporary deployment of P-8A aircraft to their soil, making the truth of Malaysia’s request highly unlikely, said Li. The US is more likely the one initiating the conversation, making them more responsible, he said.